Open for business today:The Sotheby's Amazon love in

...if you're German, American or British

Here's a couple of names that don't go together: stuffed shirt auctioneer Sotheby and Internet hot shot Amazon. Today, they launch their bastard offspring, the clumsily-named sothebys.amazon.com, for the American, German and British Intenet markets So what has the site got to offer:? It boils down to this: the Sotheby's comfort factor. All sellers have to be accredited first by Sotheby's, and all items are supplied by a guarantee of authenticity and condition. Amazon makes its contribution to the shopping experience with "rich, detailed photographs", indicative prices and a robust ecommerce engine. But just how respectable is Sothebys? Click on our earlier story, written in June when the Amazon- Sotheby's tie-in was first announced in June, and see what you think. ®